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David Cameron will be kicking himself. In a radio interview on Monday morning he used the term “second rate” when he meant “second best” in relation to the NHS. He clarified his statement quickly.

“I don’t think we should put up with a second rate…with coming second best. We should aim to be the best.”

Cue immediate “outrage” and a synthetic row about the NHS of the kind which we Brits specialise in. Everyone involved knows the parts they must play, and duly do, all through a full 72 hour media and spin cycle.

I’m sure I’m not alone in having had NHS experiences that range from the first rate to the downright disgraceful fifth rate. But one is not supposed to say that. This is Britain. The NHS “is the envy of the world.” Although it is curious that even though “it is the envy of the world” no country has copied the British system.

Labour said that in his remarks Cameron had insulted millions of NHS workers. Had he? Really? If you say so.

Here comes the first proper attempt at retaliation from Team Brown in the wake of the publication of Blair’s memoirs. The Guardian reports (hat-tip Conservative Home) on Brown’s latest plans for his work post Downing Street.

He has established “The Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown,” registering various domain names last week. From there he will take on three roles: Convener of the Global Campaign for Education working with Queen Rania of Jordan, running a new program to bring the Internet to Africa and joining the board of Tim Berners Lee’s World Wide Web Foundation. But it will all be unpaid work.

The Lib Dems are ahead of the Tories in a BPIX poll for the Mail on Sunday, UK Polling Report says. Anthony Wells issues a note of caution on methodology, but the figures are in line with the general trend and are likely to cause a sensation. According to BPIX, the Lib-Dems, or the outfit formerly known as the third party, is on 32% (+12), the Tories are at 31% (-7) and Labour is back in third again on 28% (-3). This general election is starting to take on the characteristics of a giant national by-election.

Two other polls also show the Lib Dems surging.

ICM in the Sunday Telegraph has the Conservatives on 34% (-3), Labour on 29 (-2) and the Lib Dems sitting at 27 (+7) . Oddly ICM chose to carry out the bulk of the research before Thursday’s debate win for Clegg.

But Com Res for the Independent on Sunday and the Sunday Mirror is more dramatic than ICM. The Tories are at 31% (-4), the Lib Dems are in second on 29 (+8%) and Labour trails in third on 27% (-2).

Again, estimates suggest that the numbers in both ICM and Com Res would make Labour the largest party but leave it short of an overall majority. Labour finds itself in the unusual position of falling to third place in three out of the last four polls but celebrating its potential return to government.

I did a little spot for BBC earlier on the MPs expenses scandal. Here’s the gist of my case. In essence I think the legacy of this parliament will be more than damage to “faith in politics”. It’s much worse that that. In making themselves accountable to Legg MPs have torpedoed the vitally important concept of parliamentary sovereignty. For several centuries their predecessors would have understood why this matters. Most of this lot show little sense that they even know what the term means.

There’s an iron law of modern public relations and contemporary crisis management. At some point in the life of a damaging scandal a cry will go up from those involved: “It’s time to move on”.
So it was in the wake of the release of Sir Thomas Legg’s report into members expenses. Sir Thomas detailed just how much almost 400 current and former MPs would have to pay back to the taxpayer: almost £1.3m.

Cue a procession of chastened senior MPs and party leaders on television and radio, most saying say that it had all been a dreadfully squalid and regrettable episode. But isn’t it time, they suggested, for parliament, press and the public to move on?

Not so fast, some of their constituents will be thinking. And contemplating the Legg report last week it’s easy to see why some anger remains. Not all MPs at Westminster this week were contrite and happy to write a cheque. A few popped their head above Parliament’s parapet to say that Legg is a breach of natural justice because many claims were made in good faith at the time. A small handful of MPs will now have their claims tested according to a different kind of justice when their cases come to court.